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    Home » Instant pot pressure cooker » Braised Chinese Mushrooms

    Braised Chinese Mushrooms

    Published: Dec 22, 2020 Modified: Aug 9, 2022 by Tracy O.This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Braised Chinese mushroom is a traditional Chinese cuisine especially for Chinese New Year. Also, this is my family's authentic Chinese braised mushrooms recipe. Hope you enjoy this soft, tender and juicy instant pot braised Chinese shiitake mushrooms recipe with oyster sauce.

    Like vegetable dishes? Check out these gai lan, baby bok choy stir fry, Chinese spinach amaranth, garlic yu choy sum, water spinach stir fry, crispy teriyaki tofu and kimchi tofu soup recipes. 

    braised Chinese shiitake mushrooms on lettuce on a white heart shaped plate

    What is braised Chinese Mushroom? 

    Slowly cook dried and soaked Chinese shiitake mushrooms with oyster sauce and serve with vegetables. A classic Cantonese style braised Chinese mushrooms dish often served with lettuce. However, some like to serve with bok choy or broccoli. 

    What is Chinese shiitake mushroom?  

    Chinese mushrooms originated from China over 1000 years ago. There are different types of Chinese mushrooms such as patterned, thick and thin mushrooms. If it snows during harvesting, the surface of mushrooms will crack and create different patterns.

    dried shiitake Chinese mushrooms

    On the other hand, dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms have a pleasant fragrance that fresh mushrooms do not have. This is because when drying mushrooms, chemical reactions with mushroom yeasts release scent. Besides, dried shiitake mushrooms have rich protein, some health and medicine benefits such as preventing colds, cancer and lower cholesterol.

    How to cook Chinese shiitake mushrooms? 

    Shiitake mushrooms are great for any cooking method. However, the best way to cook dried Chinese mushrooms is to braise them because it absorbs the sauce and the texture is very tender. For example, braised Chinese mushroom chicken is one of the common Chinese dishes. 

    When do you eat braised Chinese mushrooms? 

    Braised Chinese mushroom is a traditional Chinese cuisine, especially during Chinese New Year or special banquets like traditional weddings or other events. I remembered my grandmother made this dish during Chinese New Year dinner when we visited them.

    What are the ingredients for braised Chinese mushrooms? 

    The ingredients are dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms, lettuce, ginger, garlic, salt, brown sugar, oil, oyster sauce and water. But, some people like to add dried mandarin peel to braise with the mushrooms. 

    braised Chinese mushrooms ingredients

    Cooking tips for how to braise Chinese mushrooms: 

    • Choosing good quality (thicker and have fragrance) dried Chinese mushrooms is important for a tasty braised mushroom dish.
    • Before cooking the mushrooms, they need to be washed and soaked in water. Normally, it takes about 2-5 hours until the mushrooms are soft.
    • Do not soak the mushrooms too long, neither use too hot nor too cold water to soak them because it will lose its fragrance. 
    • The best is to soak mushrooms in room temperature water.
    • I don’t suggest using the soaked mushroom water to cook because it may have sand or bugs.
    • Remember to squeeze the mushrooms to remove excess water.
    • Classic Cantonese style braised Chinese mushrooms dish often served with lettuce. Thus, remember don't over boil lettuce, just put them in boiling water and quickly put them on a plate.

    FAQS:

    How do you soak Chinese shiitake mushrooms? 


    First wash and rinse the mushrooms. Then, soak them in tap water for 2-5 hours before cooking. It depends on the size and thickness of the mushrooms. Also, do not use too hot or too cold water to soak them because it will lose its fragrance. 

    Can I use soaked mushroom water to braise mushrooms?


    Some people like to use the soaked mushroom water to cook. However, I don’t suggest using the soaked mushroom water to cook because it may have sand or bugs.

    Instructions for how to make instant pot braised Chinese mushrooms: 

    dried shiitake Chinese mushrooms in the white bowl

    Preparation: 

    1. Put 12 medium-large sized dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms into the bowl. 

    Soaking dried mushrooms in a white bowl

    2. Wash and soak the dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms for 2-5 hours until it's soft. (Pour 5 cups of water.)

    soaking mushrooms swell in the white bowl

    3. After soaking the mushrooms, drain the water and squeeze excess water. 

    ginger garlic with oil in the instant pot

    Cooking:

    4. Plug in and turn on the instant pot. Then, press the sauté button, pour 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, 4 slices of ginger and 4 cloves of garlic. After that, stir fry a little bit. 

    braised mushrooms with sauce in the instant pot

    5. After that, add the soaked mushrooms. (Remember to squeeze the mushrooms to remove excess water.) Next, add 4 tablespoons of oyster sauce, ⅛ teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 cup of water and mix it well. Close the lid and vent, push the manual button to adjust time 20 minutes at high pressure and naturally release the pressure.

    boiling water in a silver pot

    6. While waiting for the mushrooms, boil 6 cups of water in a pot. Then, add ⅛ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil into the water. 

    half the lettuce on chopping board

    7. Wash and cut the lettuce into half. 

    lettuce in boiling water in the pot

    8. Until the water is boiling, put the lettuce into the boiling water. Make sure the lettuce is completely immersed into the water, then remove it quickly. (Remember don't over cook lettuce.)

    cooked lettuce on a white heart shaped plate

    9. The following step, put the cooked lettuce on a plate.

    Cooked Chinese mushrooms in instant pot

    10. When the braised mushrooms are ready, put the mushrooms over the lettuce and ready to serve.

    braised Chinese mushrooms on lettuce on a heart shaped with a striped towel

    Enjoy this instant pot braised Chinese mushroom recipe! Also, check out these orange chicken, beef stew , dim sum siu mai, hairy gourd vermicelli, and Chinese eggplant & pork recipes.

    You May Also Like These Recipes:

    • BEEF AND BROCCOLI (西蘭花牛肉)
    • GARLIC CHILI SHRIMP
    • MUSHROOM CHICKEN
    • STEAMED PORK SPARERIBS WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE (豉汁蒸排骨)

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    braised Chinese shiitake mushrooms served on lettuce

    Braised Chinese Mushrooms

    Braised Chinese Mushroom is a traditional Chinese cuisine especially during Chinese New Year or special banquets like traditional Chinese weddings. Also, dried Chinese Shiitake mushrooms are the best to braise with oyster sauce and serve with lettuce. 
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    resting time: 3 hours
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 36kcal
    Author: Tracy O.

    Video

    Ingredients

    • 12 Dried Chinese mushrooms (Medium-large sized)
    • 1 head Lettuce Small
    • 4 slices Ginger
    • 4 cloves Garlic
    • 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil

    Sauce:

    • 4 tablespoons Oyster sauce
    • 1 tablespoon Brown sugar
    • ⅛ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 cup Water

    For boiling the lettuce:

    • 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
    • ⅛ teaspoon Salt

    Instructions

    • Put 12 medium-large sized dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms into the bowl. 
    • Wash and soak the dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms for 2-5 hours until it's soft. (Pour 5 cups of water.)
    • After soaking the mushrooms, drain the water and squeeze excess water. 
    • Plug in and turn on the instant pot. Then, press the sauté button, pour 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, 4 slices of ginger and 4 cloves of garlic. After that, stir fry a little bit. 
    • After that, add the soaked mushrooms. (Remember to squeeze the mushrooms to remove excess water.) Next, add 4 tablespoons of oyster sauce, ⅛ teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 cup of water and mix it well. Close the lid and vent, push the manual button to adjust time 20 minutes at high pressure and naturally release the pressure.
    • While waiting the mushrooms, boil 6 cups of water in a pot. Then, add ⅛ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil into the water. 
    • Wash and cut the lettuce into half. 
    • Until the water is boiling, put the lettuce into the boiling water. Make sure the lettuce is completely immersed into the water, then remove it quickly. (Remember don't over cook lettuce.)
    • The following step, put the cooked lettuce on a plate.
    • When the braised mushrooms are ready, put the mushrooms over the lettuce and ready to serve.

    Notes

    Cooking tips for how to braise Chinese mushrooms: 

    • Choosing good quality (thicker and have fragrance) dried Chinese mushrooms is important for a tasty braised mushroom dish.
    • Before cooking the mushrooms, they need to be washed and soaked in water. Normally, it takes about 2-5 hours until the mushrooms are soft.
    • Do not soak the mushrooms too long, neither use too hot nor too cold water to soak them because it will lose its fragrance. 
    • The best is to soak mushrooms in room temperature water.
    • I don’t suggest using the soaked mushroom water to cook because it may have sand or bugs.
    • Remember to squeeze the mushrooms to remove excess water.
    • Classic Cantonese style braised Chinese mushrooms dish often served with lettuce. Thus, remember don't over boil lettuce, just put them in boiling water and quickly put them on a plate.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 8g | Calories: 36kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 328mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 338IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lisa

      May 31, 2022 at 5:37 am

      I just bought a bag of fresh shiitake mushrooms. How can I cook these the same way? Just cook them less time?

      Reply
      • Tracy O.

        June 01, 2022 at 1:37 am

        Fresh shiitake mushrooms will be different. Yes, you can try to cook it in less time. I will try to use the top stove method because I haven't tried to use fresh mushrooms for this recipe.

        Reply
    2. Philip Hy

      January 10, 2021 at 3:01 am

      Great recipe. When you put the mushrooms over the lettuce, do you also add all the liquid? Or just pick our mushrooms, put on lettuce, and spoon a bit of the sauce from the Instant pot over everything? Also, how would you cook the mushrooms if you don't have an instant pot?

      Reply
      • Tracy O.

        January 10, 2021 at 9:29 pm

        Yes, I put some sauce over the mushrooms before serving. If you don’t have an instant pot. You can cook them over the stove. You may need to add more water and adjust the taste. Then, use a small fire to braise it for 45-60 minutes. I hope it helps! Thank you for your questions.

        Reply

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    Tracy O.
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    Welcome to Oh My Food Recipes, where you can find inspiration for meals or dinner ideas specialty Asian cuisines. Oh My Food Recipes is tried and tested recipes with step by step photo tutorials.... Read more!

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